Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has given his take on the controversial Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal on Day 5 of the Lord’s Test match. Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey spotted Jonny Bairstow wandering out of his crease as the English batter assumed the ball was dead after he ducked underneath a short delivery. Carey landed a direct hit and appealed for stumping which was upheld. It was a crucial moment in the game as Australia went onto win the match by 43 runs to take a 2-0 lead in five-match series.
The current and former England cricketers expressed their disappointment over the dismissal and called it against the spirit of cricket despite it was completely legal according to MCC rules.
Ashwin gave an elaborate take on Bairstow’s dismissal and Carey didn’t waste any time to throw the ball at the stumps.
“A debate regarding that Bairstow dismissal is that since it was the last ball of the over, it seems he left that delivery and came to the non-striker end to have a chat. Take a look at the replay again. Alex Carey didn’t wait for a second to hit the stumps. He knew Bairstow will leave the crease and that’s why he threw at the stumps immediately. Bairstow didn’t take a single look behind and started leaving his crease,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
The veteran spinner further said it’s a basic thing to follow in cricket as even players in the domestic circuit follow the ball before leaving the crease.
“It’s the most basic stuff, guys. Follow the ball and then leave the crease. Even now in Ranji Trophy and international cricket, the batsman will always look at the keeper and slip fielder, ask their permission and only then leave the crease. That’s because the keeper and the slip-cordon can still do it. That is absolutely allowed within the rules of the game. Since the game was in the balance, I can understand the crowd going on with it. Other than that, I don’t think there is anything wrong with what Carey did. He correctly utilised seeing the pattern of what Bairstow usually does,” he added.
Ashwin also pointed out a crucial rule which the English players forgot while complaining about the dismissal.
“The next thing is about the last ball of the over and that’s why he started leaving the crease. After the end of the over, until the umpire calls ‘OVER!’, there over is not completed,” he added.
The 36-year-old said that it’s the batter’s responsibility to protect his crease until the umpire says ‘Over”.
“Only once he says so and the ball rests and there is no further action possible from the ball, it will be considered a dead ball. Until then, the only responsibility of the batter is to protect his crease. Here, the umpire didn’t say ‘Over’, so Carey hit the stumps and the umpire ruled him out.”
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